Wrench for turning flanged pipes



Aug. 21, 1951 Filed June 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l Allg. 2l, M E, DAVIS ETAL WRENCH FOR TURNING FLANGED PIPEs Filed June 1, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 @M Puta Patented Aug. 21, 1951 OFFICE v 2,565,066 WRENCH Fon TURNING FLANGED PIPEs Martin E. Davis and Charlie L. Poland, Houston, Tex.

Application J une 1, 1944, Serial No. 538,217

v 1 Claim. l

The invention relates to a llange wrench which is particularlyr adapted for afllxing and removing flanges upon pipes, fittings and the like.

Considerable difculty has been encountered in afllxing and removing flanges because of the fact that very often the ilange is rather thin and in order to place the wrench firmly in position, the operator must hold the wrench in place on the flange while it is being afllxed and while the turning operation is being performed so as to keep the wrench from tilting sidewise and releasing the ilange. This is particularly true where the flanges are located in more or less inaccessible positions and, also, where it is desiredto at tach orremove the flange as quickly as possible.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates a flange wrench which is devised so as to straddle the flange and automatically retain itself in position on the flange during the attaching and releasing operations and will ride on the flange without bracing until it is bodily removed from the flange.

I Still another object of the invention is to provide a flange wrench which can be slapped onto the flange by the operator without particularly positioning the jaw relative to the ilange.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flange wrench construction having an' adjustable mechanism thereon so as to position the handle relative to the jaw in different positions depending upon the size of the llange to be gripped.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a flange wrench constructed in accordance with an invention positioned on a flange in gripping position.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the wrench and flange of Fig. l.

Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevation, and bottom views, respectively, of a modified' form of the Wrench.

In Fig. l, the wrench generally is indicated at 2 and is made up of a handle 3 and a jaw 4.

The handle is briefly a unitary body member 5, which comprises the grip portion 6 and the head l. The head is extended laterally to form the projections or lugs 8 on either side and it will be noted that each of these extensions has an opening 9 therein, which is arranged to receive the pivot bolt I by which the jaw 4 is pivoted on the handle. With a symmetrical construction of this sort, the handle is reversible and can be used for a long period of time, even though the opening 9 should wear and become noncircular.

The end I2 of the head is recessed and receives a gripping piece I3 which is provided with teeth I4 so as to bite into the periphery I5 of the flange I6. This piece I3 can be inserted and removed when it has been subjected to wear.

The jaw 4 is made up of a pair of curved plates 2li, which might be said to be more or less crescent shaped, as best seen in Fig. l. :These plates are arranged in parallel position, as seen in Fig. 2 and are spaced apart by the flange gripping member 2| and the positioning or stop member 22. Each of these members, as seen in the drawing, is made up of a short piece of bar steel, with the member 2| positioned at an incline relative to the periphery I5 of the flange I6, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This member is so positioned in order that the edge 24 will grip the ilange, This member may be Welded or otherwise ailxed to the spaced plates 20 and serves to space the plates apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the flange I6. The stop member 22 is also disposed between the plates in any suitable manner but has the flat edge of 2l thereof arranged to engage the periphery of the flange so that the movement of the jaw in straddling the llange is limited by this stop member. It will be noted that the plates straddle the flange sufllciently to keep the jaw in place on the flange and in this manner release both hands of the operator for manipulation of the handle.

Particular attention is directed to the fact that a line passing through 24 where the grip member 2I engages the flange and through the center of the bolt I0, will pass just beyond or below the axial center of the flange. This is desirable so that, when the grip teeth I4 engage the flange, the pull will tend to hold the wrench upon the flange. The bolt I0 passes through an opening, such as 30 in the two parallel plates,.. so as to pivot the jaw and the handle together. It will be noted that there is a series or a plurality of these openings 30 arranged in a suitable manner so that by positioning the bolt I0 in any one of the various openings, that flanges of "different sizes may be accommodated.

In use, the operator grasps the handle 6 and throws or slaps the jaw portion over the flange so that the plates straddle the flange and the stop member 22 comes into contact with the periphery of the flange. If the handle 6- is then moved in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. l, it seems obvious that the gripping member 2I and the teeth I4 Will securely engage the periphery of the iiange so as to turn the ange. A very large mechanical advantage is obtained due to the eccentric position of the bolt l0 relative to the teeth 4 when the length of the handle is considered. In this manner, the force applied to the handle in turning the wrench tends to grip the flange securely. When opening 9 of the handle becomes worn, it is only necessary to turn the handle over and additional service can be obtained.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the construction already described is also shown but instead of the series of openings 30, a single opening 35 has been arranged in the jaws to receive the bolt l0, and the jaw 4 is arranged to pivot on the bolt I0, the same as seen in Fig. 1.

The handle 3 has the head 40 thereon but has been modified somewhat in that there is an inclined passage 39 arranged therein which extends on through the enlargement 4|, and an adjustment spindle or rod 42 is shown as being disposed in this passage, having an opening 43 therein to receive the bolt. This spindle is threaded at 45 and carries a bushing or nut 46 having an enlarged knurled area 41 thereon. This bushing is arranged for rotation against a shoulder 48 on the projection 4| so that by turning this bushing, the spindle 42 will be moved longitudinally of the passage 39. If this spindle is retracted into the handle, naturally the pipe engaging portion on the head 4i] of the handle `3 will be moved toward the gripping member 2| so as to accommodate smaller iianges. This adjustment can be readily made by manipulating the bushing 46.

Broadly, the invention contemplates a iiange wrench which will straddle the flange and automatically position itself thereon so as to quickly and securely grip the ange.

What is claimed is:

A wrench for gripping and turning a anged pipe comprising, a pair of crescent shaped plates forming an are having a length exceeding a semicircle, a combination spacer and stop plate afxed between said plates at about the mid point thereof to space the plates in parallel relation, said spacer` plate being disposed to tangentially abut the periphery of the ilange of a pipe, a gripper plate also aixed between said plates adjacent one end of the plates, said gripper plate being disposed at an inclination relative to the ange periphery so that one edge engages and grips the ange periphery, a handle disposed between and pivoted in the other ends of said plates, a flange gripper piece carried by said handle to engage the iiange periphery beyondqsaid pivot, said gripper edge and handle pivot being spaced on said plates to encompass slightly more than a semicircle of the flange periphery so that pivoting of the handle engages said gripper piece on the flange periphery and pulls said gripper edge against the ilange.

MARTIN E. DAVIS. CHARLIE L. POLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 212,468 Hudson Feb. 18, 1879 417,652 Smith Dec. 17, 1889 501,985 Armantrout July 25, 1893 506,070 Plante Oct. 3, 1893 514,936 King Feb. 20, 1894 684,446 Miner Oct. 15, 1901 1,276,596 `Vivarttas Aug. 20, 1918 1,421,206 Galbraith June 27, 1922 1,599,808 Coates Sept. 14, 1926 1,626,309 Thurley Apr. 26, 1927 1,855,143 Williams Apr. 19, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 201,784 Great Britain Aug. 9, 1923 

